Masan Group, one of Vietnam’s largest private companies, has appointed Michael Hung Nguyen as chief financial officer, in addition to his role as deputy CEO and head of business development.

Nguyen has been with Masan for nearly seven years, overseeing the group’s merger and acquisition deals and capital raising transactions, as well as supporting Masan Group’s overall strategy.

Having graduated from Harvard University, he worked for JP Morgan in New York and Vietnam, where he used to provide structured solutions to multinational clients, before he joined Masan Group.

At Masan Group, he assisted the CEO in executing the transformation of the company from a food firm into a leading private sector group. Nguyen has contributed substantially to the build out of the transaction and business execution platform by helping to raise over $1.5 billion in capital for the company, Masan Group said.

The company, under the direct supervision of Nguyen, has seen the acquisition of controlling stakes in Vietnam French Cattle Feed JSC and Agro Nutrition Company – to help form Vietnam’s second largest animal feed platform.

In addition, its subsidiary Masan Resources will list shares on the Hanoi Stock Exchange and aim to become one of the largest listed stocks on the bourse.

The establishment of the animal feed unit has helped Masan Group’s sales in the first quarter. They have increased by 52 per cent year-on-year to VND10.4 trillion ($479.26 million). Its profit after tax reached VND673 billion, while in the same period of 2014, it reported a loss of VND44 billion.